The Sun Warrior
by GoldenAderyn
Summary: Bad title. Shootingstar, leader of ThunderClan, receives a prophecy about a cat that worships the sun. Who is this cat? Where has she come from? And what is the power that rules the forest? Takes place a long time after the books, possible spoilers.
1. Prolouge: The prophecy

**Prologue**

The grass shook and the leaves of the trees rustled, and the surface of the lake ripped, but there was no wind to blow them. A single, black cat sat on the rise of the hill, green eyes darting back and forth. The shadows that were cast over the ground hid many other cats, and they murmered to one another, clouded eyes staring up at the black cat expectantly. He turned his green gaze on all of them at once,  
"_She will come, streaked with gold, bright as the sun she worships. She will come, and bring with her a power to rule the forest"_

"What does it mean, Inkstar?" Asked a wiry grey-and-white she-cat.

"I... Don't know" He admitted, "I've never heard of anyone who worships the sun before. But this is what I have seen. We should share it with the Clans as soon as we have a clearer image of the future."

"A _Power to rule the forest? _That sounds pretty severe. Shouldn't we warn them now? They should be prepared." A ginger tom spoke up from the shadows.

"But we don't know whether this power is good or bad" Inkstar replied, "We don't know enough ourselves to give them a clear warning"

"I still think we should. It's been many, many seasons since the last time my paws walked my territory. But when I was alive, you always warned me, no matter how strange the messages were. There has been no danger since I lost my final life, and it's been quiet for too long" The ginger tom meowed, "I think this should be taken seriously"

"I think you're right, Firestar" Nodded the She-cat, "Inkstar, what do you say?"

"Alright. I also agree with Firestar. I'll go get Shootingstar now" The back tom rose to his paws, stardust immediatly surrounding him. He turned and loped over the hill, then down, out of sight. As soon as he left, the shadows buzzed with gossiping meows,

"Sun-worshipper? Who knew there was such a thing?"

"Power... I wonder what kind of power?"

"Streaked with gold... Perhaps she'll be easy to recognise with a burning bright pelt..."

A hush fell over the StarClan cats as a grey-flecked, white she-cat appeared, closely followed by Inkstar. She rose her grey eyes, bright with nobility,  
"Shootingstar...There is something ahead, but even we cannot tell who or what it is." Firestar spoke, green eyes glimmering faintly. Shootingstar wrapped her tail around her paws, trying to look calm, but the fur on the back of the young leader's back was prickling,

"What?" Her voice was still young and sweet.

"_She will come, streaked with gold, bright as the sun she worships. She will come, and bring with her a power to rule the forest" _Inkstar receited slowly.

"Who will come? What power will she bring?" Shootingstar's voice was high with urgency. She scanned her former Clanmate's green orbs, but there was nothing there, not even the slightest hint of emotion.

"I'm afraid even we do not know." Inkstar mewed, "But we thought we would warn you; The age of peace may be over"

Shootingstar visibly trembled, but nodded slowly, "Thankyou, Inkstar, StarClan"

"Good luck" Firestar added, "It is time you returned to your Clan and spoke with your medicine cat. He would have recieved a similar dream"

Shootingstar did not recognise Firestar; after all, it had been so long since he died. Still, she bowed her head in respect, and walked back up the hill. Suddenly, a golden blur swept towards her and past her, making her jump and squeak with suprise. She turned around, but her ancestors were long gone. The prophecy echoed in her mind,

"_She will come, streaked with gold, bright as the sun she worships. She will come, and bring with her a power to rule the forest..."_

Shootingstar rose from her sleep, panting. Dawn's light was creeping into her den, so she stretched herself awake. The forest had been so peaceful for as long as she could remember; could all that be coming to an end? She looked up at the sky,

"Oh, what have you got planned for us?" She asked, to no-one in particular.

"Shootingstar?" The voice was masculine and belonged to ThunderClan's medicine cat. He bowed his head in respect, and Shootingstar returned the polite gesture,

"Oh, good morning, Thistlefang" She greeted. "How are you?"

The black tom licked his chest fur, "I'm fine, but I have something to tell you, and I'm afraid it cannot wait."

She fell silent for a moment, before replying in a choked voice, "Go on"

"Shootingstar, I had an odd dream last night. I think you should know about it"

Shootingstar's stomach churned; she already knew what it would be about.

"I also have a dream and a message to share with you..."

"About the Sun cat?"

"Yes"

"I see..." Thistlefang looked disappointed, "Then you know no more than I do. Should we warn the Clan?"

Shootingstar hesitated, "...No. If they panic now, all hope is lost. Although I will tell Mintleaf, as deputy he has a right to know"

"True." Thistlefang sat close to his leader, eyes narrowed, "Who knows what we're about to face. We can only cross our claws and hope that this cat is not dangerous...


	2. Chapter 1: So far from home

**Chapter 1: So far from home.**

It had been three days since the accident. My dusty body ached all over and the salty taste of blood still hung on my lips.

"Hey there, little one" I looked up with a great deal of pain until I found myself looking into the eyes of a human, "You were lucky to survive that car crash, you know"

I tilted my head to one side slightly. I couldn't understand what this human was saying, but I could tell by his kind tone he wasn't going to harm me. I sunk my head back down onto my blanket and tried to remember what had happened three days ago.

"_Aderyn, give up already, you're not going to catch it! Aderyn!"_

_I sped after the rabbit, mouth watering. My Clan were dying from hunger, and this rabbit would save so many of the starving kits._

_"Aderyn!" _

_Still I ignored my friend's yowls. I wasn't giving up yet. Speed was my secret weapon. I stretched my paws futher every stride, until me and my quarry were nothing but brown blurs. I was catching up! Suddenly, the grass thinned out under my paws, and I felt the cold surface of the road. I skidded to a stop, burning my pawpads; I couldn't have come this far, could I? Then, a loud roar, and no more thoughts._

I stretched my injured limbs painfully. Thankfully, none of them appeared broken or twisted. I shuddered at the thought of not being able to run again. I felt the human's hand ruffle my ears,

"You'll be fine. Just a bit bruised. But then, what to do with you? I can't keep you..." I let myself fall sleepy with his mutterings. Soon enough, my world was darkness once more. Wow, this darkness was getting familiar, almost friendly now.

Odd thing for a SunClan cat to say.

"Hello, Aderyn"

I opened my eyes instantly. I stood up slowly, but no pain soared through my limbs.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"I am Inkstar. Nice to meet you, Aderyn" I could tell this was a dream, but it felt oddly real. A tall black cat with stunning green eyes appeared from the darkness next to me, "I bring a message from StarClan to you."  
"Message?" I had heard of SunClan cats sometimes getting messages from RayClan, our ancestors, who danced as the sun's rays over our land in the daytime, keeping us warm with their presence, but never of 'StarClan'.

"Yes." He nodded, "You must seek out the storm clouds."  
"What does that mean?"

"Your fate... It lies with ThunderClan"

I awakened to the sound of a dish of food placed beside me. I was instantly awake, but my heart sank when I saw what it contained.

"Pet food? Ick!" I spat.

"It's not the Rabbit you were chasing, but it's better than nothing" The human laughed. I paid him no attention as I didn't understand his language.

_It's not the Rabbit I was chasing, but it's better than nothing..._ I thought to myself. I forced myself to eat the contents, curling up my nose. It was like being forced to eat rabbit droppings. Only worse.

"My fate lies with ThunderClan..." I wondered, "What does it mean?" After eating I gave my chest a few licks, feeling fresher with food inside me. I looked longingly at the door, wanting to return to my Clan now.

"Sorry. But you're not fit enough to go running off" I could tell this meant no. I scratched at it pitifully, "Don't do that. You'll make me feel sorry for you"

Suddenly an idea hit me. I jumped on the man's posh looking sofa and started sniffing it intently.

"Oh no! Not on there! Outside!" He grabbed my by my scruff and plonked me on the grass. Instantly I was off, despite my bruised body, as fast as I could go.

"Darn cats. I swear that thing just tricked me" He shook his head, "Oh well. I guess that's one less sofa to worry about"

I panted heavily, skidding to a stop. I can't believe he fell for it! Now, to just figure out where I am, and get back to SunClan...

What?

I... Don't recognise this place at all...

"Where on earth am I?" I yowled at the top of my voice.

"ThunderClan territory. And if you don't remove yourself immediatly, I'll do it for you!" A harsh voice met my ears. I turned and saw myself reflected in a pair of yellow eyes. The huge brown tom they belonged to made me shiver,

"I... Er..."

"Give her some slack, Owleyes. It's just a Kittypet" A white tom with a black muzzle strode up beside Owleyes.

"Still, we should chase her off our territory. Or are you going soft, Darknose?" Owleyes hissed.

"What's a kittypet?" I asked.

Owleyes snorted in amusement, "You know. Fat soft lazy house cats. Like you."

My fur bristled, "I can assure you I'm not a... Kittypet. I'm as much Clancat as you are"

I felt Owleyes' crushing weight pin me to the ground, "Which Clan? I bet you're a ShadowClan spy!"

"S...SunClan" I trembled.

"SunClan? There's no such thing!" Darknose grunted.

"There is! I was hit by a car and brought here by a twoleg. I don't know how far from home I am!"

"Obviously a long way, kitty" Owleyes snorted. I felt like raking a claw over his muzzle.

Darknose narrowed his auburn eyes, "I say we take her to Shootingstar, she what she makes of all this"

"Alright" Owleyes eyed me, "And don't even think about running; Because we'll catch you"

_I doubt it, a fat lump like you. _I didn't voice my insult however, only following the two toms at a steady pace through the forest.

"Here we are" Darknose meowed, "Go down the rocks carefully"

I gulped and made my way down the quarry wall. I could feel eyes on my pelt and looked down, to have all my confidence shattered. Staring up at me were the eyes of countless cats, sparking with curiousity. I tried to ignore them as I hopped to the sandy floor, Darknose and Owleyes close behind.

Immediatly the Clan came to life,

"Who's she?"

"Is she a spy?"

"Or a kittypet?"

"Why have Owleyes and Darknose brought her here?"  
"Wow. Look at her pelt!"

My pelt... How strange they should point that out. My fur was dusty brown, but I had a single gold streak running from my nose to my shoulder blades, and another running down my tail. Nearly all SunClan cats had some gold marking on them; It was our symbol. We are directly descended from LionClan and each of us carry a splash of a lion's fur. I straightened up, meeting their gaze.

"Shootingstar! We caught this cat on our territory. She claims to be from 'SunClan', so we brought her to you"

Shootingstar must be the Clan leader... I watched as a grey-flecked white she-cat bounded from her den down to the quarry floor,

"Where is sh..." She paused and turned to me. Her eyes widened with fear I thought was impossible to express, "She has come..."


	3. Chapter 2: Apprentice of ThunderClan

All eyes became focused on me.  
"What?" I asked. No-one could answer my question; they all looked just as confused as me.

"Someone fetch Mintleaf" Shootingstar muttered,

"He's... Out on a patrol. You sent him yourself" One cat spoke up, confused.

"Then get Thistlefang!" She spat at the cat, who hurried off into the shadows. "What is your name?" Asked the leader.

"Aderyn, ma'am" I bowed my head respectfully.

"What is it, Shootingstar?" Asked a black tom, who walked towards us. I gave a hiss of fear; This cat only had one eye! The one eye he did have was a misty purple-grey colour.

"Don't be so disrespectful! My brother doesn't take kindly to insults from she-cats" Owleyes cuffed me over the ears, hard. Shootingstar lowered her head and whispered something in Thistlefang's ear, who gasped.

"...What do you want us to do with her?" Darknose inquired.

"Get rid of her. I don't want her near my Clan. Send her to ShadowClan to deal with"

"What? No, please, you've got to help me!" I pleaded, "I need to get back to my Clan!"

"SunClan is a very long way away." Thistlefang spat, "You would never make it"

"You know SunClan?" I asked,

"Yes, I have heard of them, mountain cats from the far west. It is many moons travel."

_No! How...How could I be so far from home? Is there no way I'll ever see my Clan again?_

"Shootingstar, I think you should let her stay" Thistlefang mewed.

"What?" Me and Shootingstar hissed together.

"She has no home to go to. It would be against the warrior code to show no compassion and throw her out. Besides, we need the cats."

"But...Thistlefang..." Shootingstar faltered. Thistlefang fixed her with his one eye, as if he was trying to get her to realise something without speaking. It must have worked, because she sighed, "Alright. I guess she could stay..."

"But I don't want to!" I burst out, "I want to see my friends, my mother, my Clan!"

"You have no choice!" Thistlefang hissed. "You got here in a twoleg monster. There's little chance of a half-trained, injured cat getting back to her Clan, especially with Leaf-bare creeping in" _It's clear him and Owleyes are related,_ I thought bitterly.

Shootingstar gave me one last, long look, then leapt onto a ledge a short way off the floor of the quarry,

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" Most of the Clan were already there, but the few that weren't squeezed out of the dens and sat down below the ledge. I turned my head and noticed a brown tabby bringing a small patrol of three cats back, and they also joined the crowd.

"Two warriors, Darknose and Owleyes, have found this she-cat on our territory. She claims to be from a far-off Clan, 'SunClan'"

Mutterings burst out from the Clan, mostly with confusion. An elder spoke up above everyone,  
"I have heard tales of such a Clan from my youth. They carry the mark of the Lion, the speed of a Cheetah, the strength of a Tiger and the wits of a Leopard. I never believed those tales..." She spat. Ignoring the elder, Shootingstar carried on,

"She was injured and brought here by a twoleg, before escaping. Thistlefang has advised me to accept her into the Clan, as she is already familiar with the ways of Clan life. I hereby give her a ThunderClan name." She flicked her tail, motioning me to join her. As I did so, she spoke again, "After today, she will be known as Autumnpaw. Her mentor will be Ratclaw..."

I strained my head until I saw a young, white-furred tom with grey and ginger splashes and pale green eyes stand up and make his way through the crowd. As he leapt up, I noticed his long, thin but powerful limbs, _He is almost a SunClan cat himself! _I thought, feeling almost at home. _But...My name... It is not my native tongue. I don't feel comfortable with it... Am I no longer Aderyn, but a totally new cat?_

"...Who will train her in the ways of both ThunderClan and StarClan"

"StarClan? Who are they?" It sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my paw on it.

"She knows not of StarClan?" The same elder spoke up, "Then she can never be a ThunderClan warrior! You can't force her to believe; She probably has her own ancestors."

_RayClan... _I thought fondly, _Is StarClan their ancestral spirits, like RayClan?_

"Do be quiet, Twistedvine" Shootingstar hissed, "Anyway, Ratclaw, this is your first apprentice, but I'm sure you can pass on everything Mintleaf taught you"

Ratclaw nodded, "I will, Shootingstar" He lowered his head towards mine. _What the? _I stared quizzically into his eyes. He glanced around awkwardly, "Uh... Nevermind." The Clan chuckled, and I wondered what I had done wrong.After a while, they begam to chant my new name,

"Autumnpaw! Autumnpaw!"

Shootingstar jumped off the ledge and stalked away, "The meeting is over"

"Um...Why don't you go and meet the other apprentices?" He flicked his tail at a group of small cats, about my age. I nodded slowly, wondering how any of them could replace my friends.

"Hello, Autumnpaw!" A ginger tom was trying to stifle a laugh.

"Alright, what did I do wrong?" I hissed. A white she-cat turned to me, giggling,

"You were supposed to touch noses with him, mouse-brain! It's tradition"

_Oh, RayClan, how was I supposed to know? That's a good start... No wonder RatClaw looked embarrassed!_

"I'm Snowpaw by the way. And this is Rosepaw, Adderpaw and Timberpaw"

I glanced over them one at a time. Snowpaw was icy-white with bright blue eyes. She had a smudge of black on her muzzle, so I guessed she was Darknose's daughter. Rosepaw was a longfurred, rose-grey she-cat with pale amber eyes and long whiskers. Adderpaw was the ginger tom. He was chasing his tail with boredom, yellow eyes flashing. Timberpaw was sitting a little way off from the others. He had bronze fur with jet-black stripes, and he glanced at his paws, trying to ignore me

"Hi!" I purred enthusiasticly.

"So, are you really from SunClan?" Rosepaw asked.

"...Yes" I answered slowly.

"Cool!" Adderpaw purred, suddenly loosing interest in his tail and turning all senses to me. "What's it like?"

"...A lot like here. Only there's more mountains. And our camp is a lot bigger, because there are no other Clans." I felt a little awkward under his intense gaze.  
"Wow!" A life without enemies. Easy, I bet" His yellow eyes lit up.

"Not all that easy. There was another Clan, once, called MoonClan, but they were wiped out by a fire moons before my birth. There was no need for patrols or fighting practise anymore. The Clan was falling apart."

"Woah..."

"So you came here" Timberpaw spoke up for the first time. "And Shootingstar accepted you. Another outsider. We are falling apart, too, loosing our Clan to forgien blood!"

"Ignore him. He's been like that to everyone after WindClan slaughtered his parents." Snowpaw apologized.

"Or, you poor thing!" I felt sympathy bubble up inside me.

"I don't need pity." Timberpaw said, not with hostility but pain. He padded away, tail low.

"Autumnpaw, you should rest. You may be still injured, but you start training tomorrow." Owleyes spat as he passed.

"Here, let me show you to the apprentice's den" Snowpaw offered.

"Thanks" I purred. It looked like I was here to stay. Was I really happy about that?


	4. Chapter 3: The Ways of StarClan

_"Aderyn... Or should I say Autumnpaw?_

My eyes were instantly open. I was standing at the edge of a large, glittering lake. The sun was beating down on my fur, but I couldn't feel it's heat.

_"it was a long journey, to bring you here. Welcome, Aderyn, to the well-trodden home of RayClan"_

"RayClan?" I asked, "You're here...? I thought you'd abandoned me!"

From the sun's glare, a bright, shining golden cat walked towards me. "Greetings, little Aderyn. Remember me?"

"Risingsun!" My eyes teared up; Risingsun had been the noble leader of SunClan, before he died two months ago. Only the leader was permitted to have a non-native name, and all leaders had to have 'sun' at the end.

"Yes, It's me" His amber eyes glittered, "It seems you have found a new life with ThunderClan, my daughter"

"But I don't WANT this life! I want to come back to SunClan!"

"I'm afraid there isn't much you can do but live with your new Clanmates. My daughter, please have faith in us, and StarClan."  
"StarClan, are they ThunderClan's ancestors?"  
"They are ancestors to all four Clans in the forest, they even watched over MoonClan when they thrived in our mountains." He licked me over the head affectionatly, "But now I must leave, my daughter."

"No.. No, don't go!"

"Hey, Autumnpaw, wake up!"

Someone was prodding me in the side. I opened my amber eyes slowly and found myself looking at Adderpaw, "Come on, Autumnpaw, Owleyes is having a fit! He'll flay you if you're not outside soon"

I stretched, feeling the sun filter through the den lining and onto my back. It felt good. I grinned at Adderpaw and followed him out into the sunshine, where Ratclaw, Owleyes and another warrior, the brown tabby I saw leading the patrol back yesterday, were waiting. Snowpaw padded up beside me,

"See that brown tabby? He's my mentor, and deputy of ThunderClan, Mintleaf." She mewed proudly.

"Thanks, Snowpaw" Mintleaf purred. I could tell he was friendly right away, "Now, today, we shall be checking the borders. This is Snowpaw's and Autumnpaw's first time... Yes, I know you've seen them before, Adderpaw, but knowing your memory, you've probably forgotten."

Adderpaw looked at his paws, ashamed.

"We're only going half-way though, because Autumnpaw still looks stiff. And besides, WindClan have been rather hostile lately. We don't want to run into a patrol. After we come back, we'll have a little lesson on StarClan" Owleyes muttered, glancing at me, as if he was directing the last bit towards me. My fur bristled with annoyance.

"Let's go" The three warriors bounded off without warning, followed swiftly by Adderpaw. Despite him being forgetful, hyper and clumsy, I couldn't help but notice the strength that flowed through his limbs as he scaled the quarry wall, keeping perfect pace with the older cats. Snowpaw gave me a nudge, and we followed them out of camp and into ThunderClan territory.

"Sniff the air, Adderpaw, what is that scent?" Owleyes quizzed his apprentice.

"Um..." The ginger cat looked skyward, as if expecting to find the answer there, "...Blackbird, faint traces of rabbit, mabe some vole there, too... Oh! I smell WindClan!" His voice turned into a growl.

"This far into our territory?" Ratclaw looked suprised, "Surely they're not that stupid?"

"Over here!" Snowpaw muttered, crawling on her belly through the tangles of a thorn bush. Sure enough, there were two lean, fierce looking cats there, a tom and a she-cat. The tom had a vole clamped in his jaws.

"Theives!" Owleyes hissed. Mintleaf strode towards them, eyes on fire,

"What are you doing here?" His voice was menacing. The she-cat gave a rusty purr,

"No, what's the ThunderClan deputy doing out here, all alone?"

"You must be stupid if you think I'd come out alone" He hissed. Owleyes and Ratclaw left the cover of the thorn bush to stand at his side. Adderpaw boldly joined them and, after a little hesitation, so did me and Snowpaw. The she-cat's eyes eyes widened, but he forced herself to keep her cool,

"It's not like ThunderClan are going to miss one vole, is it?"

Adderpaw flexed his claws, "Then maybe WindClan won't miss two of it's warriors!"

My jaw dropped at Adderpaw' bravery.

"Oh, and who's going to kill us, you, a little scrap of ginger fur?"

Adderpaw leapt at the she-cat, digging his claws into her back. She screeched and threw him off, but two pawfuls of her black fur went with him. The rest of us unsheathed our claws,

"You better get out of here, or I'll give my warrior permission to kill you, you mangy flea-bags." Mintleaf warned. The two cats realised they were no match for six cats and fled, yowling taunts back at us. When they were out of sight, I let my fur lie flat once more. I hadn't even realised how fast my heart was pounding.

"Fox dung!" Owleyes suddenly spat, "They got away with the vole."  
"We should report this to Shootingstar." Ratclaw meowed.

"It's not like she ever hears anything different" Owleyes shrugged, "This is the third time" He turned his yellow gaze on his apprentice, "You were very brave, Adderpaw, I'm proud of you."

"So, Owleyes can be nice?" I whispered to Snowpaw. Ratclaw's eyes slid towards me, and I was worried he was going to tell me off for my statement, but there was amusement there.

"Hey, Autumnpaw, want to hear about StarClan?" Adderpaw padded up to me. It was night-time now. The stars above me glittered, and I shivered. I hated the dark. We had reported the theft to Shootingstar, and she and Mintleaf had gone to inspect the borders for more intruders. The rest of the day we had been kept busy, taking prey to the elders, queens and Thistlefang and Rosepaw. Apparantly, Rosepaw was Thistlefang's apprentice. It was so not fair, because she didn't have to do the tasks we had to do. She got to go and collect herbs. I hadn't seen Timberpaw all day though; He was out training. I wondered for a brief moment who his mentor was.

"Go on then" We had missed our lesson on them today, so I guessed Adderpaw was only trying to be helpful. He sat down beside me,

"Well, that line of stars in the sky is called Silverpelt. Each star represents a StarClan warrior, who died a member of one of the Clans. The watch over us all night."

"Silverpelt, eh?" I looked skywards. Our Clan had never been able to explain what stars were. So they were other ancestors, watching us, and we never knew they were there? I felt pretty stupid.

"Sometimes, the cats of StarClan visit the leader or medicene cat. In the times of a prophecy, sometimes they will even speak to a warrior"

Something twitched in my memory at the mention of being visited in dreams...

_"I am Inkstar. Nice to meet you, Aderyn"_

"Do they visit apprentices?" I asked casually, or cats from Clans who don't believe in them, like SunClan?"

"I don't know about apprentices, but I doubt they'd visit cats that don't know they exist" Adderpaw shrugged.

"Oh well..." I sighed. Then why had I dreamt about a StarClan cat?

"New leaders go to the moonpool to receive their nine lives from StarClan, and medicene cats go to share dreams and learn of the future"

_Sounds like what we do..._

"Hey, Timberpaw!" Adderpaw suddenly piped up, "Had fun?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, dropping a mouse on the fresh kill pile and padding up to us, "Um... Autumnpaw... I wanted to apologize for being so cold to you yesterday."

"That's fine!" I grinned, "I can't blame you. It must be odd to have an outsider in the Clan."

"Yeah. Um, my mentor, Eagletail, wants to know if you and Ratclaw want to come to do fighting training with us tommorow. He says he's interested to learn how a SunClan cat fights." Timberpaw said awkwardly, scuffing his paws in the dirt.

My eyes lit up at the oppertunity, "Well, as long as Ratclaw agrees, you bet!" Maybe this was my chance to impress these cats!


	5. Chapter 4: The apprentice's pact

**Chapter 4: The apprentice's pact**

My pawpads prickled with exitement as I sat beside Timberpaw, waiting for his mentor to arrive. Ratclaw had agreed to Eagletail's request and had gone out on a patrol instead.

"Here he comes" Timberpaw muttered. My eyes were drawn to a large, yet scrawny-looking tom making his away across the clearing. His short coat was a chestnut-brown tabby colour, groomed to perfection. His eyes had a tired expression, and they glared right through me, as if I wasn't there. His tail was long and plumy, and the end was chalk-white, as if it had been dipped in milk. _He doesn't look all that impressive._ I thought, _I imagined him to be strong and muscular, like the other ThunderClan cats. _

"I see you're here." The tom growled, his low, strong voice a total contrast to his appearance. "You're that Autumnpaw, right?" He asked.

"Yes" I answered slowly.

"Today you and Timberpaw will be training to fight. We need young warriors even more now WindClan are being hostile" He flicked his tail, "If neither of you are hungry, we should go now"

Both of us shook our heads rapidly, and with a brief nod, Eagletail left camp, tail held high, with me and Timberpaw in hot pursuit.

"Why don't you go first, Autumnpaw? Let's see what you can do. Attack me" Timberpaw's mentor ordered. I crouched down, remembering my training. Speed. It was all about speed.

I kicked off the forest floor with my back legs and raced around to Eagletail's side, but he was ready for me. I felt a crushing weight on my back and collapsed, suddenly feeling very small and powerless.

"My expectations were a little... higher" Eagletail meowed, leaping off me. "My turn."

I dropped to a crouch and waited for him to make a move. He crept forward, then, without warning, swiped at me with a forepaw. I nimbly leapt into the air, avoiding the blow, feeling pride burn through my veins. Some say pride comes before a fall, and that's exactly what happened. Out of nowhere a force batted me out of the air like a fly, and I hit the ground with a heavy thud. Eagletail stood over me, front paw slightly raised,

"You weren't prepared for that counter at all." He snorted, "Was your mentor a kit?"

A growl rose in my throat, but before I could throw back an insult, Eagletail had turned to his own apprentice,

"Your turn, Timberpaw"

I sat down, waiting to see Timberpaw be humilliated like me. Timberpaw bounded to the left of Eagletail, but as his mentor raised a paw to bat him away, he leapt to the opposite side and bowled the skinny tom over with suprising strength. My jaw dropped at his easy defeat.

"That was... amazing!" I grinned, astounded. Alright, so I had been shown up by two suprisingly powerful toms, but I still felt proud of Timberpaw.

"We're not done yet" Eagletail growled, "I'm going to have you fighting like a ThunderClan cat by sunhigh!"

I dragged my bruised, aching body into camp and flopped down and the stone,

"I'm exhausted!" We had spent most of the day practising fighting, and most times I had been thrown into the dust.

"It was worth it though" Timberpaw mewed, grabbing a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.

It was true; near the end I had managed to successfully dodge Eagletail's pounce and counter it with a blow strong enough to knock him down. He didn't praise me, but I knew he was satisfied.

"Here" Timberpaw dropped the mouse at my paws.

"Oh... Thank you, Timberpaw" I grinned; It was the first time that Timberpaw had actually acted like my friend today.

"Your friends are back" he muttered, and I saw Snowpaw and Adderpaw racing towards me. When I looked back, Timberpaw was making his way towards the apprentice's den, and I heaved a sigh. I guess he didn't class himself as my friend yet.

"Hey, Autumnpaw, how was your day?" Adderpaw asked, skidding to a stop and showingering me with small stones and dust.

"It was Ok" I sighed.

"What do you mean, ok?" Snowpaw asked, "Eagletail is one of the strongest toms in ThunderClan! He may not look like much, but Shootingstar struggled to choose between him and Mintleaf for deputy"  
"How do you know that?" I narrowed my eyes. Adderpaw dropped his gaze to his paws, "I was eavesdropping"

"And you actually managed to stay quiet long enough to hear it?" I asked in mock suprise.

"Oi!" he hissed playfully, batting me with a soft forepaw, "Anyways, me and Snowpaw went climbing trees today. We got..." He was cut off by a loud yowl. Ratclaw staggered down the quarry wall, blood soaking his light-coloured pelt. Owleyes followed behind, also covered in gaping wounds. In his mouth hung the shape of a cat. He dropped the cat to the floor, gasped air into his lungs and called out,

"Shootingstar is dead!"

Horrified gasps rang out from the Clan. The grey-white shape of their leader was sprawled out of the floor, not moving. Her coat was barely recognisable, covered in blood and torn right out in some places.

"No!" Adderpaw gasped. I trembled with disbelief.

"Has she got any lives left?" Darknose asked urgently. Ratclaw turned his gaze on the Clan,

"I...I don't know. But she's not getting up" He collapsed next to his leader, exhausted. Thistlefang burst from his den and raced over to inspect the three cats.

"What happened?" Screeched an elder, "Shootingstar couldn't be killed by a WindClan cat; They're just not strong enough!"

Owleyes laid down and began to receite the tale, depite protests from his brother,

"We... We were patrolling the borders, when we saw two WindClan cats. A tom and a she-cat, hunting a crow."

I gasped; could they have been the same ones we had chased off before? My pelt stood on end with rage.

"Shootingstar marched up to them and ordered them off our territory, when a huge tan-coloured tom-cat came out of the bushes behind us. It was Fadingstar, the leader of WindClan!"

Many murmurs broke out from the ThunderClan cats. The new WindClan leader had been very secretive, as WindClan no longer attended the gatherings. There were rumours flying around, but no-one had actually seen him.

"He was easily head and shoulders above us all. He attacked Shootingstar, while the two other cats took on me and Ratclaw... They showed no mercy that the Warrior code insists on... Shootingstar lost her life to Fadingstar, while we fought the other two cats off. When we looked up Fadingstar had gone."

Outraged yowls rose from the Clan. Suddenly a tom I reconised as Mintleaf thrust through the crowd,

"Let me through!" He growled. His eyes scanned his leader for a moment, before he pushed his muzzle into her fur,

"Oh, Shootingstar, why'd you have to leave us?" He yowled through her fur.

"She... Has lost her final life" Thistlefang bowed his head in grief. Rosepaw stood beside him, both feeling helpless.

"How could this happen?" I wailed. Adderpaw looked dumbstruck, as if he couldn't comprehend what was going on. Snowpaw yowled in grief along with her Clanmates. Timberpaw arched his back, "Fadingstar, eh? I'll tear his fur out!"

I turned to him, "Why? Why are you thinking about fighting now?" My voice was cracking, as all the memories of Risingsun's death filled me. It had felt like I had lost my mother, rather than my leader, "Don't you care?"

He turned to me with grief-sticken eyes, "Of course I care, you mouse-brain!" He unsheathed his claws, "I want to do something about it, though!"

I suddenly stopped accusing him and admired his strength. When my father lost his final life, I had felt helpless, and I had refused to speak to anyone for suns.

"Come on, Autumnpaw! We're going to train extra hard and show these WindClan furballs that you don't kill leaders and get away with it! We should make a pact to kill Fadingstar and always stick together, no matter what happens!" I was taken back by his enthusiasm to kill.

All the apprentices nodded enthusiasticly. I agreed, relucantly,

"Alright" I suddenly realised the burning desire in my heart to get revenge. "I'm in!"


End file.
